future of learning
Postcards from 2015
Here’s a couple snapshots of high school a few years from now using currently available tools and a few in development. These pictures are student-centric; there are obviously a number of teachers and learning professional involved in the success of each of these students. Comments, suggestions, alternatives welcome.
Yale SOM Education Leaders Conference
A leading business school hosting an education conference? Ten years ago it was unimaginable. Now it happens annually in New Haven. The students organize a great conference, get edu-superstars to attend, and turn out in droves. Jon Schnur kicked off the Racing to the Top conference with a review…
Flat Lining Schools; Tinkering Won’t Work
This week the “The Nation’s Report Card” showed no progress. That’s really quite disturbing given aggressive federal policy (NCLB), a handful of cities like New York making real progress, states like Louisiana and Florida pushing hard, and national foundation efforts. It suggests that tinkering won’t come close to…
Mobile Learning Maturing (Slowly)
Article worth reading in EdWeek on mobile learning. I particularly like what Seth Weinberger at Innovations for Learning is doing with the $100 TeacherMate, a cool primary reading and math handheld game pad. See feature in next months Fast Company. Getting close to the device and price point…
Most RttT Finalist Have Lame Online Plans
Most of 16 Race to the Top finalist have lame online learning plans–and this is the best of the bunch. iNACOL posted a useful review. FL is the best of a bad lot and they’re just coasting on Jeb’s leadership and still protect district enrollments by stopping the Internet at…
Elks, Immigrants, Imagination, Innovation
When I made my annual appearance at the Elks lodge to honor the top 40 students in my district, I was glad they didn’t make the superintendent try to pronounce the names–more than half were from immigrant families. Most of the native born white kids were Mormon. The ceremony was an…
The Critical Need for Genuine School Reform
Over the last few years, fund manager and edu-eBlaster Whitney Tilson developed and refined the most compelling data-driven case for school reform, The Critical Need for Genuine School Reform. Warning: it’s about 170 pages plus appendices, but if you haven’t read it you really should. At least take 15 minutes…
Two Sisters Improve Reading Online
When I was superintendent in Federal Way, two of our best reading teachers happened to be sisters, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. I had the good fortune to run into them on a flight this week. They’ve published two great books, The Daily 5 most recently, and run an…
Games Will Change Everything
Games (and other smart adaptive learning media) will be part the core instructional program for most kids in a few years because they are: Adaptive: continuous performance assessment identifies and targets a student’s instructional level and provides instant feedback–it’s personalized learning; Engaging: good games use creative media to teach key…
Edu-Innovation, an Oxymoron?
In preparation for the New Schools Summit, following are a few thoughts for a great group. Acknowledging the difficulty of penetrating the complex decentralized maze of US public education, a New Schools regular asked a dinner gathering of notable reformers last week if education innovation was an oxymoron.